Rugby: Blues under pressure

It's too early to be considered a must-win, but for the Blues, this weekend's game against the Bulls is pretty close to that status. After going into this year's Super 15 as a pre-season favourite the Blues have dropped their first two matches, edged at home by the Crusaders and dominated away by the Chiefs. Chief executive Andy Dalton described the performance of the team in these early stages as "simply not acceptable'', while coach Pat Lam has already been linked with a move to English club Bath. Now the Blues are facing the toughest trip in the competition, to South Africa to play the unbeaten Bulls and the Stormers. The prospect of returning to New Zealand in an 0-4 hole is a ghastly one for the Blues - after all, the competition can't be won in the first four rounds but it can be lost. But Lam, who denied the rumours the Blues' head coaching seat was becoming too hot for him, promised his side had been knocked into shape and would show as much on Sunday morning (NZT) in Pretoria. "The whip has been cracked, right through by everyone,'' he said. "I can reassure everyone that after the Chiefs game we were obviously disappointed, but we move on and we know the focus is to perform as a team - that's going to give us the best chance.'' Lam called for a bit of perspective, considering the Blues had only played two of their 16 games, and said the South African trip is a perfect opportunity to right the ship. "We're only in round three, we're getting the balance right. We look at it and we know it's an important game for the team. "We've come over here, and you can get here and worry about what you've done and be upset about it. But now, it's a new week, and when you go up against a challenge like the Bulls you certainly need a positive attitude and everyone's got to put the effort towards the performance of the team.'' In addition to the positive attitude, Lam said establishing a clear game plan was imperative if the Blues are to stand a chance. "There's been a lot of contribution from the senior players. We set down early in the week and worked out what's the best way to win over here. The Blues haven't won the first game in South Africa for eight years, only one team's beaten the Bulls in Pretoria over the last three-and-a-half years.'' A significant cause of that daunting record is the Bulls' home ground. Loftus Versfeld is renowned as one of the most intimidating stadiums in Super Rugby and Lam admitted the nature of the venue had played a part in team selection, particularly the inclusion of veteran forwards Ali Williams, Anthony Borich and Daniel Braid. "Particularly at the start, the start's going to be fire and brimstone. It is a cauldron for those who have never been there ... that all comes into the selection process, both from the start and who finishes the game for us.'' Team selection has also been impacted by the bane of any Super Rugby side - injuries. In addition to Jerome Kaino and Rudi Wulf who didn't travel, utility Isaia Toeava has flown home after struggling with lower back pain, meaning the Blues have only nine fit backs. Meanwhile, Michael Hobbs has flown home to be with his father, former All Black captain and NZRU chairman Jock, after his health took a turn for the worse in recent days. Hobbs had to resign from his position at the NZRU in 2010 after being diagnosed with leukaemia.